Yubico’s director of engineering on defending against phishing

David Hope

David Hope

2 minute read

Yubico’s mission is to make the internet safer for everyone, and at the heart of that is a belief that the best security requires usability. Anyone who accesses the internet is at risk from cybercrime, so YubiKeys are designed to provide phishing-resistant MFA protection for everyone. That’s why YubiKeys are so simple to set up and use, and don’t require additional software to defend against phishing attacks.

While the user experience is simple, the technology underpinning YubiKeys is much more complicated, and has developed considerably since the first prototype was created in 2008. This progress has been thanks to the work of a whole team, located mostly in the U.S. and Sweden. One important member of this team is Dain Nilsson, Yubicos’ director of engineering.

Dain won the inaugural YubiKing developer competition in 2009, while still a student at Stockholm’s prestigious KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He then spent time as a developer at companies including SmartBear Software, before joining Yubico in 2012 as Senior Software Developer. Having experienced–and played a leading role–in the development of the YubiKey over the years, he’s well-placed to explain how authentication technology has advanced. 

Dain recently spoke with IT-säkerhetspodden, a Swedish IT security podcast, hosted by Mattias Jadesköld and Erik Zalitis, in collaboration with Nordlo. Their conversation is a fantastic introduction to the technology behind the YubiKey and what makes it so unique.

You can listen to the full discussion in the podcast here. The episode is in English, aside from a short intro message.

At one point in the episode, there is a very technical discussion about ”Asynchronous Remote Key Generation.” We’ve previously explained this topic on our blog, and for those who are visually-minded, the below illustration can be helpful while listening to the podcast.

Additionally, we’ve put together a video of our highlights, including:

  • How to defend against phishing attacks using the YubiKey?
  • How do YubiKeys help remote workers stay secure?
  • How do I set up my YubiKey for the first time?

Watch the full video below:


, , ,
Talk to our teamTalk to our team

Share this article:
  • CEO Corner: Entering the second half of 2025 with momentumAs we continue to move further into the second half of 2025, I want to share a look back at our journey so far this year and as well as lay out Yubico’s strategic path ahead.  Resurgence in order growth and key segment wins While net sales declined for Q2, the end of the quarter […]Read moreCEOCEO CornerEarningsMattias Danielsson
  • Survey says: Your dog’s name isn’t a passwordWe all know we should be protecting our digital lives, but what are Americans actually doing? Yubico recently commissioned a survey, conducted by Talker Research, which asked Americans in 10 major metro cities across the U.S. about their online security habits. Here’s a closer look at what they found (hint: they’re not as secure as […]Read moreCompany Newssurvey
  • Passkeys are winning, but security leaders must raise the barPasswords are on their way out. In their place is a new form of login called passkeys that promises stronger security and less frustration. All passkeys offer the rare combination of improved usability and stronger security, especially when compared to passwords alone. But unless we act now, millions could be left more vulnerable than ever. […]Read moreDevice-bound passkeysHardware passkeypasskeyssynced passkeys
  • Your top YubiKey questions, answeredOver the 10+ years I’ve been at Yubico, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting customers, partners and many others talking about digital security. While every conversation is different, I am often asked many of the same questions about YubiKeys. One thing remains consistent: many people know they need better security, but they’re not sure what […]Read moreFAQYubiKey